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Open Letter to Cardinal Oswal Gracias

Author: Dr Hilda Raja
Publication: Hindu Post
Date: May 26, 2018
URL :   https://www.hindupost.in/dharma-religion/open-letter-cardinal-oswald-gracias/

Dear Cardinal Oswal Gracias

I take this opportunity to inform you Cardinal that I know what the Catholic Church is all about and the CBCI.  In fact I was in the 80s nominated by the CBCI to its National Advisory Committee.  My husband and I have been teaching in prestigious Catholic institutions-Loyola College and Stella Maris college in Chennai.  So it is not that I am  a stranger to the politics and the policies of the Church and the church allied institutions.  In fact I was on the selection Board of St John’s Medical College, Bangalore.

Seeing the happenings - witnessing the large scale misuse of Minority Rights I am forced to write this letter to you.  After the controversy regarding the letter by the Archbishop Anil Couto, you Cardinal Oswal Gracias instead of smoothening things have made it more controversial.  If the Archbishop Anil Couto mentioned the ‘present turbulent times’ we are going through you have mentioned the growing anxiety among the minorities and even blamed the government for not doing enough.  One wonders what the Catholic Church is up to.  Instead of playing with words it could right away issue a statement saying that it does not support Modi’s government.  One needs courage and guts to openly state that the church supports the Italian Mrs Maino and her son Rahul Gandhi.  The church cannot play hide and seek

Now I wonder what is ‘enough’ when the you cite that the government is not doing enough, Cardinal Oswal you should clarify and quantify what that ‘enough’ means.  Look at the treachery in which Christian NGOs are indulging in breaking India.  Then dear Cardinal you have nothing to say about it.  Will any country across the globe allow this kind of freedom that the minorities enjoy in this Bharat?  Let us be honest.  Take a look at the neighboring countries - the persecution and the denial of basic rights to the minorities are part of those governments’ functioning.  I personally feel that the Catholics and the church have divided loyalties.  It is totally oriented to Vatican.  China is a good example on how to nurture patriotism and love for one’s own country.

By issuing statements and prayers you are abetting and polarizing  the nation on the basis of religion.  This is exactly what the Congress under Mrs Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi is indulging in.  After having got foreign agencies to advise them on how to win power.  Power at all cost.  Rahul, who stated that power is poison, today is eager to drink that poison.  By the way dear Cardinal how many years did the Congress rule this country?Any idea-then the UPA 1 and UPA2.  Had these done ‘enough’ for the poor, the down trodden, women and dalits ?Would we be in this state of affairs? Did you then issue a statement then when you saw scams raining warning that the morality of the government is at question.  Did you instruct the ‘flock’ to pray for a government that is scam free? But in four years’ time expectations from Modi is simply presumptuous given the enormity of the tasks unattended to by the previous governments.

It strikes me Cardinal to put the same question to you.  Has the Catholic Church done enough for the Dalits, minorities and women and the down trodden? You know how under the leadership of the late Rev Jerome D’souze sj pleaded and demanded in the Constituent Assembly for Minority Rights.  The Jesuits had vested interest in education.  It was granted.  The Minority Rights are for the Minority people - not exclusively for the priests and the nuns the rich and their close circles.  Look at the number of prestigious institutions you have.  The thousands of educational institutions across the country are run on the tax payers’ monies it comes from the government-the grants, the salaries, the pensions et al.  Yet did you think it necessary to use it at least for the downtrodden people-the dalits the women and the poor minorities and the poor for whom now your heart bleeds.  No, you used these for the rich and made them richer – kept all these segments of whom now you mention and accuse the government of not doing enough for them ,at the bottom of the hierarchical social and economic ladder.  Please dear Cardinal remember the Minority Rights flow from the Minority people and are meant first for them.  The government is investing heavily on these institutions and yet you say the government is not doing enough.  How and why do you transfer these to the rich by giving them the priority in your institutions?

In the 80s when I went to Patna to attend the NAC the then bishop of Patna in his homily stated that his ‘flock’ is very poor.  In the next sentence he said that the first thing he did was to establish a college.  This poor ‘flock’ of his has not even stepped into the portals of a school.  Why the hell did he have to start a college I thought? So I met him after Mass and asked him.  To this he replied that then ‘we will get all the powerful people with us’.  So you see Cardinal you and the Church are no better - seeking always power.  A contradiction to that carpenters son who said that His kingdom is not of this world.  He did not establish a religion.  He stood for values and these the church must uphold.  It cannot be a counter witness to Jesus.  So when you say that the government is not doing enough I am wondering if you did your mite after taking all that government money in the name of the Minorities.

To come back to the anxieties you mentioned.  You will know much better than me that India is the one and only country where the Catholics are living in peace and there is no cause for anxiety.  Tell me when we have 1.  25 billion is it not in the nature of things that stray incidents happen.  The church has abetted violence right from the beginning.  Tamilnadu is an example.  The Christian NGOs are another headache.  One wonders if we have too much of ‘azadi’.  The media –especially the western media is anti- Hindu.

A few years ago there was a headline in a leading paper in the front page, ‘Church vandalized.’  But a few days later in a corner of the same paper in small print it was reported investigation showed that no church was vandalized but a cracker burst and a glass pane in one of the windows cracked.  I have been to remote places to evaluate NGOs working and found that most of the Christian NGOs simply fenced large tracts of government land and put up a cross.  There was a mobile ambulance kept there-nothing more and nothing less.  But the acres of land it occupied under the Cross was shameful-no hamlets for miles across.  Land is simply occupied and fenced-put up a Crescent and’/ or Cross and one is safe.  This cannot be done by the Hindus.  Churches are built just with a few bamboo poles and the roof is of straw or a sheet covering.  If this is shaken down then the media will report church building demolished.  This is simply atrocious.  No country will tolerate this kind of ‘azadi’ where no tax is paid by the church for the land.  The neigbourhood poor people get annoyed and agitated when they realize that their land is all taken up and no tax paid-while they have to pay taxes.  Where is truth?

This polarization of the nation started by the Congress for power.  You must know that Rajiv Gandhi ordered the breaking of locks of the Babri Masjid –and claimed that he will bring in Ram Rajya.  That which started as a trickle has swelled into a torrent under his Italian wife.  Now his son proclaims that the family is ShivaBakhts and he wears the Janeu Dhari.  Have you excommunicated him? You will not because to garner votes you know he is using religion.  Is that not cheating the people? Is this the secularism you are expecting from a government? So what religion does he and Mrs Gandhi belong to? Dividing the people on the basis of caste and then on basis of religion.  Please Cardinal Oswal do not become another politician it will hurt that Master whom you solemnly swear that you follow.  If you issue statements then the swamis and mutts can also issue statements-they can perform Yagnas for Modi’s government to come back because they want a secular government-not one ruled by Vatican and the Koran.  This is a Hindu country.  There is no denying it.  Baba Sahib Ambedkar had clearly stated that after partition the Muslims must leave the country and go to Pakistan.  You cannot eat the cake and have it to.  This the dalits and the politicians will not cite.  Right from time immemorial the Hindus have been at the receiving end-through persecution, Inquisitions and forced conversions-they have no blood in their hands.  They had not persecuted other religious groups.  Today a few fringe groups may become violent-that is not the Hindu community.  It is not in their religion to persecute and to convert by sword.  They have been the victims.  One must accept this history.  So why raise such an alarm when small incidents happen.  -why talk of growing anxiety-of turbulent period etc.  Now why do we raise an alarm when they assert? We have the Islamic countries-the Christian countries-nobody raises their eyebrows but when one says this is a Hindu country why all hell breaks loose?

Coming back to the Minority Rights had you used it judiciously and with a purpose-had you targeted the dalits and down trodden and women today we would not have any poor down trodden.  I can understand the politicians but why did the church neglect them after taking their Rights and the people’s money.  You will be quite aware that the Church in India possesses large assets – estates and properties.  What does this all stand for? Why do you want the government to do ‘enough’ why not the church use these assets which belong to the people for their upliftment? Stand for a democracy - that is what our Constitution has given us-not a dynasty.  So when you want a government which will be secular and which will uphold the Constitution then surely it cannot be the Congress.  Please do not hide under riddles.  Be frank and honest that is what we expect of a religious leader.  Stand up for the values of Jesus and not for any one religion.

 Dr Mrs Hilda Raja

 
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